


Let's Just Stay Friends

by No_One_00



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Volleyball
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:48:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27498217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No_One_00/pseuds/No_One_00
Summary: Jeno has been courting Renjun for three months, and very openly at that. But the latter has not given in to the former even when everyone around them sees them as meant to be.Just What is the problem?
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 7
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah so...I got sidetracked by thoughts after watching "Flipped". The first scene is a shameless grab from my favorite part in it.
> 
> I'm just taking a break from the other thing I'm working on. But read the end notes please. I have something to say.

“Hey, I saw Jeno outside, why’s he digging up your yard?”

Renjun, so focused on writing up his review on some old piece of art he doesn’t really even care about, suddenly sat up from his seat to go over to the window.

Yeah, Jeno was there alright, digging up a considerable whole in their home’s front yard. Renjun rushes downstairs to confront the guy but is met with both his parents who’re actually looking out through the big window in their living room. They even seem to find it amusing.

“Mom! Dad! What are you just standing there for? He’s ruining our yard!” shrieks Renjun as he rushes to the door but his brother Xiaojun is quicker to block him.

Renjun’s mother appears at his side and flicks him on the ear. “We allowed him to, Renjun. There’s no need to overreact.”

“I am not over reacting!” Renjun huffs as he continues to be held by his brother.

This time, from by the window, his father speaks up. “Why don’t you just give the boy a chance?”

“He freaking kissed me during the game! Imagine the humiliation I went through! You’re my family and you’re supposed to take my side!”

“Junnie,” starts his mother, “He’s been courting you for almost three months now, and he’s been great with our family. Even his parents agree with you as his choice, what is your issue with him?”

Renjun mutters under his breath but his cheeks and ears pink at the thoughts running through his head.

Xiaojun, in all his inconsiderate and teasing mood, dares to ask him to speak out.

“I said, I can’t handle myself when he’s around!” declares Renjun as he runs back up the stairs to a startled Donghyuck, tackling him to his bed and continuing to scream, now onto Donghyuck’s chest.

Donghyuck tries his hardest to escape from the shorter’s clutches but fails, receiving no help from Renjun’s family who seem to be having the greatest laugh of their lives downstairs.

Monday finds Renjun hiding by the bleachers of the gym, having rushed out from the lockers as quickly as he could. Donghyuck stares at him weirdly from the other side of the court, half a mind on going to his friend, the other half bent on avoiding this high school drama altogether. As he helps Mark set up the net, the other members of their team arrive.

They are all members of their high school’s volleyball team, popular around their district for being a flower boy team, what with their visuals and overall prowess in the game.

Renjun is the setter, the brain of the team, commanding fluid control of the game once he’s in the zone. Donghyuck and Jeno, both wing spikers, with the latter having been recognized as the team’s ace. Jaemin and Jisung, two other members – the tallest ones, occupy middle blocker positions. Their team captain and opposite spiker is Mark while Chenle serves as libero. The seven of them are the team’s regulars, the reserves being Sungchan, Yangyang and Shotaro. Their ten-member team stands on top of the pile in their school district’s team standings.

But for all the praises they receive from the school, the locals and the papers, in their gym, they were nothing but dorks just trying to get through high school.

Jaemin enters the court with all the flair of a celebrity, “Donghyuck, Donghyuck, Donghyuck…when will you ever remember to return the shirts you borrowed from me? Do you like wearing my clothes that much?”

Renjun perks up at the sound. Wherever there was a Jaemin, there was always a – 

“Why are you avoiding me Renjun?”

Renjun all but shrieks right at the unlucky boy’s face, spit and all. You’d think that would have caused Jeno to retreat but no, stubborn as he was, he just holds the screeching boy by the nape and covers his mouth with his other hand.

“Are you calm now?”

The boy nods and Jeno lets go.

“Now, answer my question.”

Renjun has been avoiding Jeno ever since the latter made his intentions known. They were practicing one day three months ago when Jeno declared no one was to make a move on Renjun. Renjun had just fallen then and Mark was helping him up, holding him in his arms when Jeno swatted their captain and declared, “I’m courting Renjun. From now on, I’ll be responsible for him.”

The whole team, their coach, and the team manager went shush in the gym, the quiet broken only when Jeno tugged Renjun to take him to the clinic, carrying him up bridal style as they got to the gym entrance.

Renjun had been too taken aback by then that he held his silence all the way home where Jeno escorted him. He only snapped out of his trance once under the shower, screaming loudly that brought his mom knocking at the bathroom door.

“I was busy.” Renjun replies to Jeno’s question.

“Are we okay? Do you hate me or something?”

The thing is…Renjun has a secret.

He’s in love with Jeno.

He has been for years. They group up together, and the feelings just bloomed.

But in his shyness, and all throughout shitty personality, he thought it better to avoid the guy.

Because for all the times he’s imagined for there to be something like romance between them, Renjun’s set himself up for too high a standard. Because what if he did agree to be in a relationship? And then what if he finds out it was all too good to be true? What if Jeno found him boring after a while? What if they broke up?

Renjun was scared of a lot of things. Not living up to people’s expectations being one of them. Being left behind, another.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said there won't be more chapters from me but here's another one.

"Of course, yeah, we're okay, yeah..." Renjun rambles to a confused Jeno as he stands up from where he's been huddled in.

A passing Yangyang pats Jeno on the back saracastically saying, "You're okay. Don't mind his stammering or the sweat collecting on his brows."

Renjun blushes and hits the retreating boy with his water container, but he somehow forgot to fully close the bottle and spilled its contents onto Jeno’s shirt.

The latter stares at him in shock mirrored by Renjun’s own expression and he rushes to pat down the other, not that it dries him or anything but he just has to do something.

“Renjun, stop,” Jeno starts, “It was an accident, I know.” He then proceeds to lift his shirt up and off right in front of Renjun. If the boy wasn’t as obviously blushing before, he’s tomato-red now.

Jeno just smiles at the still staring Renjun before pulling the boy in to brush his lips on his forehead. He winks at him and heads back to the lockers to look for an extra shirt.

The practice goes awful for the whole duration. Renjun’s set-ups nowhere near their usual perfection, his receives going in the way of his teammates, and even his serving has hit Donghyuck in the head twice already.

“I swear to whoever, Jun, you hit me one more time and I’ll castrate you.”

“Sorry Hyuckie…I’m just so out of it…”

“Stop thinking about your boy! Just look at him, he’s staring at us right now, probably thinking I’m about to steal you away from him. If we just keep riling him up, then we might just be able to catch up and win! You know I hate tidying up the gym and locker room.”

“But you just saw what happened! He did this to me and now I can’t keep my head in the game!”

“You know what? Why not just give in to him so you can stare at his body for all you’re worth. He may even plant you more of those plant-things you want. And then you live happily ever after.”

“You know I don’t want that with him.”

“Are you even sure about that Huang Renjun? You basically drooled over the sight of his shirtless bod before practice –”

“Shut –”

“And before you shut me up, I know you’re not one to just hit it and quit it, I know you’re the relationship type, you’re just so chicken about it.”

Renjun was a coward, wasn’t he? But it isn’t really all as easy as the others always make it up to be. They don’t even really know him, do they?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just might go on with this

"Jun, can I come in?"

Renjun buries his face into his pillow some more. Curse his family for being so supportive of Jeno.

Volleyball hasn't been going well ever since his feelings toward his teammate were outed to him by Donghyuck. Before, he was just frustrated by Jeno's confidence and outright shamelessness toward him, but after talking to Donghyuck, his own feelings became the biggest blockage to playin well on court.

Fingers rap against the door. "Jun?"

"It's open, Jeno."

The said boy enters Renjun's room slowly but calmly, smiling once he catches the latter looking at him with most of the side of his face mushed against the pillow, his body front-down on the bed.

Jeno settles on the side of the bed, reaching out to pat Renjun's head, letting his fingers comb through the smaller's hair. 

"Are you tired?"

Renjun smiles at the boy lazily, slowly rolling to his side.

He throws the same question at Jeno.

"Are you tired?"

Jeno scrunches his face in confusion, "We were together at practice?"

Renjun gives a small shake of his head.

"I mean are you tired of this, waiting?"

a look of understanding washes over Jeno's features and he smiles at the boy lying on the bed.

"Never. I'll wait for you as long as it takes."

Renjun closes his eyes, if only to shield himself from Jeno's blinding admiring smile.

"What if I never come to return your feelings, Jen?"

He feels Jeno reach out again, this time to hold his hand.

"I know how you feel for me already, Jun. I'm just waiting for you to accept them."

"I'm the only one privy to my feelings."

"You think that...but you're transparent as transparent goes."

Renjun doesn't respond to the boy but doesn't let go of the hand grasping his.

Jeno lies beside him and pulls him in, settling down with Renjun's head to his chest, and wrapping the said boy in his arms.

They drift off to the quiets of the afternoon, not waking even to Renjun's mother entering the room to get them to have dinner.

She leaves the two to themselves, adrift in dreams.

New photos are added to an album on her phone.


	4. Chapter 4

If there were ever very supportive parents awards, Renjun's sure his and Jeno's parents would win it.

There he was, thinking they'd have a simple Christmas dinner with just the family, but it ended up like a small gathering for both families, being next-door neighbors and all making it better - according to his mother.

Renjun knows Jeno's family knows their son's interest toward him. Irene, Jeno's sister, sometimes gives him rides to school in her car just so she can have them sit together in the back. Her far from quiet encouragement all the more obvious.

So here he was, forced to sit beside Jeno during gift giving, not at all minding the arm around his shoulders...for the warmth and all that.

Xiaojun, self-appointed host, picks up a small silver box tied in silvery ribbon and he smiles upon reading the card.

"To my future, Renjun," he announces, going to his brother to hand him it. The said boy accepts it out of respect (not excitement or anything), side-eyeing Jeno.

Jeno just smiles at him, beckoning him to open the box, so Renjun does, and in full view of both families, he gazes at its content in awe.

Its a necklace, golden, with a ring attached to it. Gold, too, it has his name engraved upon it.

"So that's why you've been so hard at work offering to clean up the neighborhood's yards!" It was Jeno's father, laughing loudly with the rest, but at the same time looking so proud of his son.

Renjun closes the lid and faces Jeno, "Jen, it must have been expensive...why would you buy me this?"

"What kind of answer is that, Junnie? Haven't I taught you to be grateful?" chides his mother.

Renjun turns red but courageously retorts. "I'm not being ungrateful!” Turning to Jeno, he says, "It is very pretty, and I am very flattered, thank you...but Jeno...I've only ever made you wait, so this feels a lot like piling on pressure to me."

He starts to tear up as his emotions fizzle out of him.

Wiping away the streaking tears, he rushes up to his room to the shock of everyone. But Jeno just calmly follows him, signalling everyone it's okay and that he's got this.

Jeno's been dealing woth the boy for so long now, he knows just what to do in every situation.

Renjun is...delicate. The boy is smart and friendly, but tends to be afraid of a lot of things, disappointing others being his the thing he's most insecure of.

And Jeno knows this, which is why he was willing to wait for Renjun to come to terms with the fact that Jeno is okay with all of him.

But this Christmas, he just felt like he wanted to give Renjun a concrete object to show his commitment to him, a proof of his promise.

He knew Renjun wouldn't take so well to it, so he told his family beforehand to be prepared for a tantrum.

But these episodes are also part of why he loves the boy so much. He's just so cute he wants to protect him.

Renjun didn't even bother to lock his own door. He knows Jeno will come anyway. He always does.

So when the bed dips and arms come around his figure, he lashes out, not that he was strong enough to push the other away, but he does.

When there's just a giggle he gets in response he glares at the other but he's only being smiled at. It makes him feel so off to be on the receiving end of those smiles. They always make him put his guard down.

"Renjun, please. I'm not pressuring you or anything, I mean it," he feels the arms loosening around him and one hand goes to his hair to brush them of his face, "I told you already didn't I? I already know. Your feelings. So even if for you we aren't anything yet, to me you're already my special person."

Renjun blushes and he hides his face on the other's chest. He mumbles into that said chest and the vibration makes the owner laugh.

"Hey, come up here," he's pulled up so they're face-to-face with one another. "What was that you were saying?"

There are hands squishing his cheeks and restricting him so he can't put his hands up to cover his face. Giving up, he heaves a sigh.

"I said..." he hesitates.

"Go on," Jeno prompts.

Renjun huffs, and in a surge of courage, "I said, you're special to me too."

Jeno grins so wide at him. His cheeks are squished some more and then he's kissing him.

And for all the thoughts of running away Renjun immediately conjured up, he gives in to it.

He kisses back.

And once again, the camera captures several shots.


	5. Chapter 5

Training for volleyball season is usually very tough. The coach becomes a devil in pushing them during work-out, and his will to bend and stretch their joints and muscles gives them thoughts of his probable psychopathic tendencies. The Chinese members usually take these things in stride, somehow, maybe genetically more adapted to these things but Donghyuck can notice its not just ease that allows Renjun to smile through it all.

The latter is positioned behind the coach along with Chenle, Yangyang, Shotaro and Jisung, and somehow he keeps on smiling. Donghyuck knows its because of Jeno because they're opposite each other but he can't see the latter's expression with Mark's ass blocking his view. Yes, it was not that unpleasant but his curiosity regarding Renjun's unusual demeanor trumps whatever sexy thing he can imagine right now.

But then they're made to face the other way so he has to stop trying to see Jeno's expression, though quite luckily, Jisung's face gives him all the clues he needs.

More than that, Chenle's suddenly squealing his dolphin voice teasing two of the members.

"Renjun and Jeno hyung are staring at each other!"

"And they're smiling!!!" Jisung supplies.

The members then suddenly break from formation to see for themselves, leaving Renjun in shock and embarrassment, which is just confounded by Jeno's rush to his side to hug him and escape with him from the gymnasium.

While the whole team bursts in happy energies regarding the two, their coach just shakes his head at the sight. "I'm not paid nearly enough for all this romcom shit."

Outside, hiding under the bleachers by the tracks, Jeno laughs at Renjun's misery.

"Hey Junnie, don't mind them. At least now we don't have to hide it."

"No. Donghyuck will not let me live this down."

"Come on..." Jeno pouts in his face, pleading.

"What do you want?"

Jeno perks up and brings Renjun into his arms, awkward in their current squatting position, but bringing the blush to Renjun's cheeks nonetheless.

"Let's be official in public, please."

"Jeno..."

"I know, I know, you're shy and easily embarrassed and you don't want people looking at you, but can I, at least, be allowed to hold your hand in public?"

Renjun huffs in resignation. “Just holding hands.”

“Hugs too.”

Renjun reluctantly glares at him. “Hugs too.”

“Uhmm…can I kiss you, too?”

Renjun stiffens. “Not in public.”

“Oh come on…please? Pretty please?”

Renjun steels himself. “No.”

Jeno kisses him, a peck. “Really?”

Renjun blushes, surprised.

Jeno kisses him again, a bit longer this time. “Please?”

Renjun relents, the red now up to his ears. “Only innocent ones.”

Jeno kisses him again, gently, sweetly. “Only innocent ones.”

**Author's Note:**

> So I don't have that many ideas for this one. I just really went ahead with the prompt on my head after watching Flipped and the new season of Haikyuu!!.
> 
> I WILL TRY TO FINISH THIS ONE.


End file.
